According to Wikipedia "doublespeak" is language that deliberately disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words. This "reversing the meaning of words" the blogger Dennis Marks (AKA dmarks) accomplishes with a recent comment on the Libertarian/Objectivist blog rAtional nAtion uSA.
| Dennis Marks: As for political correctness, it is much more often what racists and bigots promote, with theories of white privilege, patriarchy, and "micro aggressions". As for slave wages, it is also insulting to smear immigrants as slaves. I checked the states with the most immigrants vs wages in these states. There is actually a trend toward states with more immigrants having higher wages than those with fewer immigrants. The anti-immigration, nativism view is just not supported by demographics, even if it feels good to those who fear "the other". ...I've made my points in opposition to immigrant bashing. (9/5/2015 AT 07:22:00 AM EDT). |
The terms white privilege, microaggression, and patriarchy describe analyses of racist/bigoted and misogynist behavior. Dennis, with his racist/bigoted and misogynist comment, flips that around and sez that people who put forward these "theories" are the "real bigots". This denial of reality is obvious doublespeak, in that who Dennis is talking about are "Black racists". Also women who Rush refers to as feminazis. As well as their White allies and Male allies (respectively).
As opposed to actual racists, bigots and misogynists. Which would be people guilty of these behaviors. Not people objecting to such behavior. And Dennis, with his doublespeak, aligns himself with the racists and misogynists quite strongly, IMO.
The other example of doublespeak from his comment would be his reference to "opposition to immigrant bashing", in which he implies he opposes it. Yet he does it himself with his denials that undocumented workers are frequently taken advantage of by unscrupulous employers. Which is what we were talking about... undocumented workers, not legal immigrants.
The bigot Dennis also insists that "illegal alien" isn't a pejorative despite the fact that it absolutely is. He says he uses it because "it is the most accurate", but that is total bullshit.
| Immigration Attorney Shahid Haque-Hausrath: "Illegal alien" is not a legal term. An alien is defined as anyone who is not a citizen or national of the United States. However, "illegal alien" is not a legal term in the Immigration and Nationality Act. For some, the use of the term "illegal alien" is likely based on a misconception that an immigrant's very presence in the United States is a criminal violation of the law. While the act of entering the country without inspection is a federal misdemeanor, and for repeat offenders could be a felony, the status of being present in the United States without a visa is not an ongoing criminal violation. (excerpted from the website No Human Being Is Illegal). |
So... HOW is "illegal alien" MOST accurate? Not in a legal sense, as pointed out by the immigration attorney Shahid Haque-Hausrath, who says "illegal alien" is "highly inaccurate and pejorative". As usual Dennis does not know WTF he's talking about.
As for Dennis' claim that there is "a trend toward states with more immigrants having higher wages"... he provided no link so I have no idea where he's getting this info from. In any case, as this (imagined?) stat has nothing to do with the conversation (and I'm not inclined to spend a lot of time Googling for an answer), I will disregard it.
People here illegally are frequently underpaid (given less than the minimum wage) as well as stolen from (forced to work off the clock, not paid overtime, etc). And I, unlike Dennis, will present the evidence to back up this fact.
| Low-Wage Workers Are Often Cheated, Study Says (excerpt from a 9/1/2009 NYT article by Steven Greenhouse) Low-wage workers are routinely denied proper overtime pay and are often paid less than the minimum wage, according to a new study based on a survey of workers in NY, LA and Chicago... In surveying 4,387 workers in various low-wage industries, including apparel manufacturing, child care and discount retailing, the researchers found that the typical worker had lost $51 the previous week through wage violations, out of average weekly earnings of $339. That translates into a 15 percent loss in pay. ...39 percent of those surveyed were illegal immigrants, 31 percent legal immigrants and 30 percent native-born Americans. |
Dennis, I believe, full-throatedly denies this reality because he loves our plutocrats, hates low-wage workers, and believe those who toil for low pay are only useful for exploiting. And he frequently uses double-speak to flip reality on it's head in promotion of his ideological beliefs.
Beliefs that tell him rich Makers are fundamentally better than poor workers. Low wage laborers should take what they are offered and not whine when they are underpaid for their labor. And they absolutely should not attempt to use government to try and get a fairer wage (increase in the minimum).
Low wage workers, be they immigrants or native born, are the "other" that Dennis fears. He fears that they will wise up and become politically active. Which is why he trashes such movements whenever they arise. Movements like Occupy Wall Street (OWS) or Black Lives Matter (BLM).
BLM is racist according to Dennis. And OWS is antisemitic. And, in Dennis Marks' upside down world, being opposed to shipping jobs out of the US (outsourcing) is "nativism", while not screwing low-wage workers in the US is "fear of the other" and "immigrant bashing".
But that's obviously the way plutocrat-loving stooges such as Dennis roll. Although I think it's also possible that he's just a malicious troll saying silly things just for fun. This would explain why he frequently stands under the bright noon sun and shouts "it's night out!"... metaphorically speaking. But I doubt that. Personally I think it is much more likely that he knows exactly what he's doing and doing it purposefully.
Which would be dismissing White privilege and patriarchy as not existing (or accusing the victims of it). Because he enjoys being a white male in a society that favors these individuals. And because he fears that "the other" will gain enough power to take away his privilege.
Image: Picture from the website No Human Being Is Illegal.
Supporting Document
Bigoted Bigot's Misogynist Misogyny, DSD #15. (A catalog of Dennis Marks' Misogynist comments).
